PreK and Early Childhood Programming During Distance Learning 2.0
UPDATE: Families participating in Early Childhood Education programming at Crystal Lake Education Center may choose to continue with Small Group/Hybrid in-person or move to online programming. For information on Wonder Zone Preschool-Age Child Care please see the Child Care during Distance Learning 2.0 page.Early Childhood Education at Crystal Lake Education Center (CLEC)
- All in-person options will continue to follow strict health and safety guidelines.
- Families who choose not to continue in-person programming will be able to join one of our online offerings at any time.
- CLEC will be closed to the public; meetings can be scheduled with staff via video conferencing, phone or in-person by appointment.
- The CLEC Office will continue to be staffed Monday-Friday from 8:00-4:00 to support program staff and to coordinate contactless pick-up of class materials by parents.
*Please note that for all Early Childhood Programs, this situation can change or be put on pause without advance notice due to new/updated guidance, staff availability, or illness spread within a classroom or building.
For more information on Crystal Lake Education Center call 952-232-3000 or email Early Childhood Family Education & Screening Manager Cindy.Magnuson@isd194.org or Small Wonders Preschool Manager Lisa.Piller@isd194.org
Program-Specific Information
Distance Learning Overview
For those families who choose to participate in Distance learning, here’s what you can expect. Distance Learning experiences for the day will be posted or communicated to students/families by 9:00 a.m. Weekly schedules (PLAY Plans) for the following week will be posted to families and students on Seesaw the last day of each week (Friday at 4 PM). This information may be subject to change and any changes will be communicated to students/families. This communication will provide a broad overview of what to expect for the upcoming week and will allow students and families to prioritize and plan their work. Teachers will check email and phone messages throughout the day during their work week and will aim to respond within 24 hours. Teachers are also available daily during dedicated office hours for any parent communication.
Lessons are designed to meet the standards for each age level as guided by Minnesota’s Early Childhood Indicators of Progress Standards. Learning experiences will be delivered to students in a variety of ways:
Daily live, virtual sessions conducted via WebEx (links posted in Seesaw)
Recorded, on-demand video lessons posted in Seesaw
Offline activities posted in Seesaw. Hands-on activity packets/kits created for families to use at home and to enhance virtual sessions
Students will experience a balance of learning experiences delivered both online and offline with some element of family control over time, place, and pace. Teachers will also provide individualized instruction and interaction to small/large groups of students through Webex learning sessions.
Schedule
All students participate in their class each day/time that they would attend in-person. Teachers will provide live session times and links to students/families. These scheduled times may vary by week.
Weekly Schedule
Students will attend classes on their normally scheduled days. The Early Childhood schedule includes a class meeting, literacy, math, integrated subjects (science & social studies), STEM, large motor, music & art. Students will have opportunities to do activities in all of these areas when they are in the distance learning model. Teachers will be available to students and families during posted office hours and by a scheduled meeting. Curriculum at the Early Childhood level includes both digitally delivered coursework, as well as hands-on materials. Each day Early Childhood students will have an opportunity to participate in a minimum of 30 minutes of live interaction with their teacher(s). These 30 minutes can be broken up into shorter sessions throughout the scheduled class and may be with the entire class, a small group, or one-on-one with their teacher(s).
Assessment
Teachers will continue to assess student progress using the assessment tool chosen by each program (DRDP, HELP, Pro-LADR). They will be administered in a distance learning environment. Teachers will use a variety of ways to assess students so they can show what they know.
Attendance
Attendance in Early Childhood is voluntary. Consistent attendance to the best of the family’s ability is important to maintaining social and emotional connections. Please let your teacher know if your child won’t be able to attend in any way for a scheduled day. If your child has been absent for more than three consecutive class sessions your teacher will reach out to you. Students will be marked present for active online engagement or direct interaction on a given day, such as:
- Participation in a group interaction (WebEx)
- Phone call or messages exchange between teacher and student or parent
- Accessed Seesaw during the day
- Completion of activities
Materials Pick-Up
Materials will be provided for at-home learning in all programs. Due to the expense and time it takes to prepare at-home learning materials along with the amount of waste generated by packets not picked up, families will be asked if they would like to pick-up a bag at Crystal Lake Education Center.
Contactless Pick-Up: Families may pick up the bag marked for them between 7:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. from a table in the entrance to Crystal Lake Education Center.
Classroom and School Supports
Social-emotional learning is a critical component for student success, regardless of the instructional model. Lakeville Area Schools is committed to the social, emotional, and behavioral success of all students, especially during this unprecedented time. We recognize your child’s success will result from positive and predictable environments that cultivate connection and sense of belonging, teach skills to build resilience and navigate uncertainty, and detect struggles as they happen.
We recognize students are experiencing a variety of feelings and thoughts about the adjustments they will experience this school year, which can result in disengagement. Throughout the school year, buildings will monitor student progress for signs of academic, social, emotional, and behavioral struggles. If we detect emerging concerns, we will work with students and families to identify effective strategies and supports that promote engagement and student success.